Women&#39;s garment



Aug. 25, 1959 Filed June 26, 1956 INVENTOR. .ffep/ven J Mamhagen BY /L/United States Patent WOMENS GARMENT Stephen J. Varnhagen, San Francisco,Calif., assignor to The Reynolds Company, San Francisco, Calif., apartnership Application June 26, 1956, Serial No. 593,849

3 Claims. (Cl. 2--221)- of the waist without making any alterations,such as the resetting of buttons.

Additional objects and features of the invention will appear from thefollowing description in which the preferred embodiment has been setforth in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawing.

Referring to the drawing.

Figure 1 is a front elevational view illustrating a garment inaccordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective View illustrating the same garment, and withthe front flap detached.

Figure 3 is a detail illustrating the construction of the waist band.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional detail on an enlarged scale taken alongthe line 44, Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional detail taken on an enlarged scale alongthe line 5-5, Figure 3.

In the drawing the invention has been shown incorporated in a ski-rt,although it is to be understood that it can be used in the constructionof other womens garments, such as shorts, slacks, etc.

The waist band 10 of the skirt 11 illustrated is constructed in aparticular manner as will be presently described. The main body of theskirt is provided with a front cutout 12, and the front ends of the bandare provided with tie strings 13 or some other suitable means forretaining the band in place about the wearer.

' Normally the cutout 12 is covered by the flap 14, the

upper edge of which is provided with a band portion 15 similar inappearance to the band It). Suitable attaching means is provided on themain band 10 for retaining the flap 14 in the normal position shown inFigure 1. For example buttons 16 are shown carried by the band 10, andare adapted to be secured within buttonholes 17 in the ends of the bandportion 15.

In many conventional maternity garments the buttons 16 are attached bythread to the waistband, and require resetting to permit enlarging. Inaccordance with the present invention the buttons 16 are automaticallyadjustable, While at the same time properly retaining the band portion15 and the flap 14 over a wide latitude of waist adjustment.

One suitable construction for adjustably mounting the buttons 16, andfor constructing the band 10, is shown in Figures 35. The band in thisinstance includes a stifiening strip 21, which can be formed of wovenmaterial impregnated with suitable stiffening material. The interior ofthe band accommodates the elastic tape 22, the ends of which areattached to the buttons 16. Each end portion 10a of the band is providedon its outer side ice with a slit 23 through which the shank of thecorresponding button extends for attachment to the elastic tape 22.Intermediate its ends the elastic tape 22 can be fixed to the strip 21by means of the stitching 24. For this portion of the band the elastictape may be on the inner side of the stiffening 21. At a region neareach slit 23, the elastic tape may slidably extend through a slit 26 inthe stiffening strip, thus guiding the end portions of the tape. Theband can be completed with exterior cloth surfacing to provide a desiredattractive appearance.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the buttons 16 may be movedthe entire length of the slits 23, against the urge of the elastic tape22. The tension applied by the tape is suflicient to retain the flap 14in the nonnal position shown in Figure 1, with tension being applied tothe band portion 15.

It will be evident from the foregoing that my invention permits anadjustment of the'waist part of the garment without resetting of buttonsor the making of any alterations. Whether adjusted for a small or largewaist measurement, the garment is neat in appearance,

and the cover flap is at all times held in proper position withoutsagging.

I claim:

1. In a womens garment of the maternity type, a Waist constructionhaving a cutout on one side of the garment and a main waistband withends terminating at the cutout, said main waistband being formed ofinner and outer connected cloth strips, a flap adapted to be positionedto cover the cutout and having its lower portion permanently attached tothe main part of the garment, the upper free end of the flap having aband portion adapted to overlie the end portions of the main band,adjustable means for forming an attachment between the free ends of themain band, the outer cloth strip of said main band having slits formedin the end portions of the same, each slit extending for a substantialdistance along the length of the main band, devices carried by the mainband adapted to be releasably attached to the ends of said band portion,said devices extending through said slits and being adjustable along thelength of the same, and elastic tape means extending between said clothstrips and having its ends attached to said devices, said tape meansserving to yieldably urge the devices in a direction to apply constanttension to said band portion on the flap only when the flap is engagedwith said devices.

2. In a womens garment of the maternity type, a waist constructionhaving a cutout on the front side of the garment and a main waistbandwith ends terminating at the cutout, said main waistband being formed ofinner and outer connected cloth strips, means forming an adjustableconnection between the free ends of the main band, a flap forming a partof the garment and adapted to be positioned to cover the cutout, theupper free end of the flap having a band portion adapted to overlie theend portions of the main band, an elastic tape accommodated within themain hand between said cloth strips, the outer cloth strip of said mainband having slits formed in the end portions of the same, each slitextending for a substantial distance along the length of the band andopening through the outer face of the band,

attaching devices secured to the ends of the elastic tape and extendingthrough said slits, whereby said devices can be moved between the endsof the slits and along the length of the band, the ends of the bandportion on the flap being adapted for detachable engagement with saiddevices, and means forming an attachment between the rear center portionof the main band and the rear center part of said elastic tape, saidelastic tape serving to retain said band portion under constant tensionindependent of the waist measurementof the wearer,

3. In a womens garment of the maternity type, a waist constructionhaving a cutout on one side of the garment and a main waistband withends terminating at the cutout, said main waistband being formed ofinner and outer connected cloth strips together with a stiflfener stripdisposed within the accommodating space between the cloth strips andsecured to the inner one of said cloth strips, means forming anadjustable connection between the free ends of the band about the waistof the wearer, a flap forming a part of the garment and adapted to bepositioned to cover the cutout, the free end of the flap having a bandportion adapted to overlie and extend between the end portions of themain band, an elastic tape accommodated Within the main band between theouter cloth strip and said stiffener strip, the said tape being attachedto the outer side of the stiffening strip at the back of the garment,said stifliening strip having slots extending laterally of the samethrough which the tape extends, the slots 'being located between thecenter of the strip and the ends thereof, said main 20 hand having slitsformed in the end portions of the same, each slit extending for asubstantial distance along the length of the band and opening throughthe outer cloth strip of the band, the stiffener strip having its endstermi nating adjacent those ends of the slits that are remote from thefree ends of the main band, and attaching devices secured to the ends ofthe elastic tape and extending through said slits, whereby said devicescan be moved between the ends of the slits and along the length of theband under the tension of the elastic tape, the ends of the band portionbeing adapted for detachable engagement with said devices, said elastictape serving to retain said band portion under constant tensionindependent of the waist measurements of the wearer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS494,404 Aronson Mar. 28, 1893 1,141,284 Stone June 1, 1915 1,199,933Sencenbaugh Oct. 3, 1916 2,157,932 Glover May 9, 1939 2,248,861 FriedmanJuly 8, 1941 2,626,397 Lewis Jan. 27, 1953

